Sibling Relationships in Later Life: A Different Story in China

Tingshuai Ge , Institute for Population and Development Studies, Xi’an Jiaotong University
Quanbao Jiang, Institute for Population and development Studies, Xi'an Jiaotong University

With the increase in life expectancy and population mobility, the amount of social support available to the elderly gradually decreases. However, as an essential social support resource in later life, siblings have not received enough attention in China. Adopted data from 2014 Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS) and multilevel logistics regression, this study examined the determinants of sibling relationships in later life, using frequent visits provided by siblings as a proxy, mainly focusing on the influence of birth order and gender in the context of Chinese culture. Results suggested that: (1) Compared to sisters, brothers were more likely to provide frequent visits to the elderly, which was different from the results observed in the western cultures; (2) The association of sibling` gender with frequent visits was negatively moderated by the sibling`s birth order and positively moderated by the elderly`s gender; (3) Age, proximity, registered residence, socioeconomic status, and parents` survival status were also found to have significant effects.

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 Presented in Session P2. Poster Session Ageing, Health and Mortality